Uranium Equities (ASX: UEQ) is delivering high uranium recoveries of greater than 90% from its transportable PhosEnergy process demonstration plant following commissioning last month.

The company has completed a series of 10 day test campaigns to determine optimum process conditions and preliminary results have uranium recoveries meeting expectations with process scalability being supported.

The demonstration plant is designed to extract uranium as a by-product from phosphate in the production of phosphate based fertilisers.

Uranium extracted from the phosphoric acid is concentrated and purified through the process before being transported to a uranium production facility in the U.S. for evaluation of product quality.

The effectiveness of the PhosEnergy process has been confirmed at pilot plant scale at a U.S.-based phosphoric acid facility.

A second test campaign will begin at the end of this week, with the operational period expected to last a further two to three months.

Uranium Equities will collect information – including chemical consumption rates, equipment design criteria and energy inputs – from a number of acid feed sources to enable completion of a preliminary Feasibility Study.

Global opportunity

The global annual production potential of uranium from the phosphate industry is around 20 million pounds of uranium and is mined in phosphate ores but not recovered annually on a worldwide basis.

The major phosphate based fertiliser producers are located in Northern Africa, North America and Asia.

Uranium Equities and Cameco Corporation (TSX: CCO) are targeting the U.S. where there is an opportunity to recover an estimated 6 million pounds of uranium per annum.

Also, operation in the U.S. has several potential synergies with Cameco’s existing operations in the region.

Uranium Equities and Cameco operate under a strategic alliance in which Cameco has the right to earn a 73% interest in the project.

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